29th DAY: Osaka Fireworks Display

It had been awhile since we had been in the same bed for a long time. I was getting comfortable being in this place. It sucked we had to move again. Getting into Sakai City was the easy part. We only had to follow one road south. Like usual, once we got there, signs disappear and you go right past your destination. We drove in circles looking for this train station. Then suddenly, it was right in front of us and we didn't even realize it because it is so small and unmarked. They came and picked us up. From there there was no way we could have found this place. I wonder how much trouble others had.

It was a little old but the rooms were private and quite cheap. We were still tired so we took a siesta. The fireworks in Tondabayashi didn't start until 19:45 so the plan was to leave by 18:00, that didn't happen. We rushed out some time past 18:30. Traffic wasn't so bad until we got closer. We stopped at a rice patty farm where there were no buildings but decided to go closer. Soon after the road was blocked off so we parked our bikes. It was 19:15 so we jogged part of the way. We reached the top of the hill where there were many people sitting in open fields so we stayed there. It would have been better to go a little closer but it was still good.

The entire country competes to put on the best fireworks show. Each city has its own style. Some even shoot them from within the water. Ours was going to be about an hour long. They were going to blow 12000 fireworks in that time. It started off with a big bang and was continuous except for a few short breaks in between. They blew off so many that they created a new cloud of just smoke that obstructed the view. This made it real difficult to get a good picture. It was also somewhat repetitive. I didn't feel they used enough variety of works, just only big loud ones. Can't complain if I compare it to any show we have in Canada.

As we were leaving, it started raining. I didn't bring my rain dress so I got soaked. It was okay though because at least I had a room with a shower.